Percussionists often want to dampen drumheads, drums, cymbals and the like to reduce unwanted vibrations commonly referred to as overtones that occur when a drumhead is struck. Various devices have been made to reduce the undesirable effect of excessive drumhead vibrations and overtones. The most widely used device is a patch containing a gel-like material having natural adhesive characteristics. This device does dampen vibrations and overtones but has a very short useful life due to its characteristics which attract foreign matter to its upper surface, causing the device to appear dirty and unsightly.
The prior art gel-like materials also have a low strength which is detrimental when removing and reapplying the device to new locations on a percussion vibration surface. The gel-like material loses its adhesive qualities as it becomes contaminated by both airborne particles and handling related contamination. This requires washing of the patch which is undesirable to the user. The patch is also sensitive to temperature. Therefore, stage lighting can reduce the resilient substance within the patch to a near liquid state which is then difficult to remove from the drumhead surface.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any publications or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
Pat.No.INVENTORISSUED5,877,440Chaffee 5 Mar. 19994,776,254Cruz11 Oct. 19884,581,973Hoshino15 Apr. 19864,154,137Kobayashi15 May 19792005/0200059Smith15 Sep. 2005
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,819 discloses a damped percussion instrument having a vibrating surface. A dampening gel patch is attached to the surface to remove unwanted vibrations and overtones.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,839 discloses a drum-mute device used to dampen a drumhead and remove unwanted overtones. The drum-mute device is installed on the inside of the drum in contact with the drum skin and is supported in position by a mounting rod having its ends spanning the drum body. The drum-mute device is comprised of either an inflatable member or a resilient foam member.
The US 2007/0068364 publication discloses a system and method for damping a vibrating surface, such as a drumhead of a percussion instrument. The damping is provided by attaching a patch made from a viscoelastic urethane polymer to an exterior face of the vibrating surface. The patch has a self-adhesive quality and is attached by contacting the vibrating surface.
For background purposes and indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to the following remaining patents found in the patent search.
Pat. No.INVENTORISSUED4,776,254Cruz11 Oct. 19884,581,973Hoshino15 Apr. 19864,154,137Kobayashi15 May 1979